1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid droplet jetting apparatus which jets liquid droplets.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a liquid droplet jetting apparatus which jets liquid droplets, there has been known a liquid droplet jetting apparatus configured to be capable of performing a purge operation. The purge operation refers to the following operation. That is, when jetting failure occurs in a nozzle, through which the liquid droplets are jetted, due to bubbles and/or dust penetrated into a liquid channel, an increase in viscosity of the liquid caused by drying of the liquid in the nozzle, etc., the liquid in the liquid channel is forcibly discharged from the nozzle to discharge the bubbles etc. causing the jetting failure. In this specification, “the jetting failure” means any kinds of jetting defect. For example, the jetting failure includes a case in which no liquid is jetted from a nozzle, and a case in which a predetermined value of the liquid is not jetted from the nozzle.
As the liquid droplet jetting apparatus described above, for example, there has been known an ink-jet printer which includes an ink-jet head jetting ink droplets, the ink-jet printer further including a detection device which detects the jetting failure of any of the nozzles of the ink-jet head and a purge unit which performs the purge operation for the nozzles. Further, the purge unit includes a purge cap which is installed to the ink-jet head to cover the nozzles and a pump which is connected to the purge cap. When the detection device detects that the jetting failure arises in any of the nozzles, the purge unit drives the pump in a state that the nozzles are covered with the purge cap to reduce pressure in a closed space in the purge cap. As described above, a suction purge in which ink is discharged into the purge cap from the nozzles is performed.